The answer to this question is not straightforward because there are a number of factors that work for a long time, sometimes even an entire lifetime of a person to form a cancer. It develops gradually due to the mixing of several factors like environment, lifestyle, and heredity. However, what truly increases a person’s chances of getting cancer are certain risk factors.Most of the cases, almost 80%, are related to these risk factors, that are identified as smoking and drinking habits, improper diet, and exposure to radiation or cancer causing agents (carcinogens). Some common carcinogens known to increase the risk through exposure are these:
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Air pollutants
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Water pollutants
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Tobacco
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Diet
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Food additives
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Heterocyclic amines in cooked meats
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Nitrate in drinking water
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Alcohol
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Radiation
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Chemicals and other substances at the workplace
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Hormone replacement therapy
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Sunlight
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Pesticides
Now some people are more sensitive to these risk factors while some others are less sensitive to them. However, this distinction is made by a person’s genetics and hereditary factors. However, it is important to be aware of these risk factors even though not everyone is at a high risk of developing cancer. The information is important to protect ourselves so we can avoid such risk factors while we can and by getting regular checkups